1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to transmitting bulk data using a mobile device. More particularly, the present disclosure concerns systems and methods for efficiently transmitting bulk data over a mobile network using an executable mobile application that displays predetermined fillable templates and predetermined reports.
2. Description of the Related Art
The routine day-to-day activities of many industries depend on the ability of people to send and receive bulk information organized in preformatted forms or templates. In the healthcare sector, for instance, medical charts are used to collect diagnostic information about patients. In the construction industry, project managers regularly fill out and submit detailed progress reports to upper management. Today, many industries have abandoned traditional paper forms in favor of electronic forms with fillable fields, checkboxes, selectable pull-down menus, and other data entry options.
In many cases, sending and receiving these data-rich fillable forms presents only a minor obstacle due to the presence of a reliable Internet connection. In some situations, however—and particularly in remote geographies—a reliable Internet connection may be an unavailable luxury. A connection to a mobile network (also commonly referred to as a “cellular” network) may constitute the only telecommunications link available in the region. And yet, despite the lack of a reliable Internet connection, industries must find ways to send and receive organized bulk data in accordance with their normal business practices. Currently available tools for transmitting bulk data over mobile networks fall short in that respect.
Mobile networks permit the exchange of small data files known as “short messages” over Short Message Service (SMS). SMS is an internationally accepted wireless service that enables the transmission of alphanumeric messages between mobile subscribers and external systems such as electronic mail, paging, and voice mail systems. Short messages sent over SMS are commonly referred to as “SMS messages.” The most prevalent use of SMS protocols is the sending of SMS messages between mobile phone users (e.g., smartphone users), a practice commonly referred to as “texting.”
SMS utilizes a control channel that is normally used to transfer cellular connections and regulate the transfer of packets. As a result, an SMS-enabled mobile device can send and receive SMS messages without interrupting voice communications. SMS-based communication networks can include a variety of different hardware and/or software elements, including short messaging entities, short message service centers, SMS gateways, SMS gateways, and mobile switching centers. Short messaging entities may send or receive SMS messages and may be connected to fixed or mobile networks. Short message service centers are responsible for storing and relaying short messages between short message entities and mobile devices. SMS gateways function like a hub in an Ethernet network and serve as gateways to regular fixed-line networks. Mobile switching centers help to route data through a mobile network.
Although there are many benefits associated with SMS messages (e.g., fast transfer times and the fact that they do not interrupt voice communications), they are also handicapped in an important way—SMS messages are inherently limited when it comes to file size. As the name implies, SMS messages must be short in length. The maximum number of characters, including any letters, numbers, or symbols in the Latin alphabet, is 160. For other alphabets, such as Arabic, the maximum size is only 70 characters. As a result, in remote areas in which no reliable Internet connection is available, transmitting bulk data over a mobile network using SMS is problematic.
For instance, a clinic volunteer in a rural geography lacking an Internet connection could hardly rely on conventional SMS for transmitting a medical chart from the clinic to a consulting physician located in a developed region with more advanced healthcare services. Nor could a project manager overseeing a construction project in a remote area rely on SMS for sending a complex, data-rich progress report to upper management.
Given those limitations, current tools for transferring bulk data over a mobile network fall short of industry needs. Businesses and individuals alike need an improved way to efficiently send and receive bulk data over a mobile network.